Modulating artificial membrane morphology: pH-induced chromatic transition and nanostructural transformation of a bolaamphiphilic conjugated polymer from blue helical ribbons to red nanofibers.

Design and characterization of helical ribbon assemblies of a bolaamphiphilic conjugated polymer and their color-coded transformation into nanofibers are described. An L-glutamic acid modified bolaamphiphilic diacetylene lipid was synthesized and self-assembled into right-handed helical ribbons with micron scale length and nano scale thickness under mild conditions. The ribbon structures were further stabilized by polymerizing well-aligned diacetylene units to form bisfunctional polydiacetylenes (PDAs). Transitions from flat sheets to helical ribbons and tubes were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The helical ribbons appear to originate from the rupture of flat sheets along domain edges and the peeling off between stacked lipid layers. These results point to the applicability of chiral packing theory in bolaamphiphilic supramolecular assemblies. Contact mode atomic force microscopy observations revealed that high order existed in the surface packing arrangement. Hexagonal and pseudorectangular packings were observed in flat and twisted regions of the ribbons, respectively, suggesting a correlation between microscopic morphologies and nanoscopic packing arrangements. The tricarboxylate functionalities of the bolaamphiphilic lipid provide a handle for the manipulation of the bisfunctional PDAs' morphology. Increasing solution pH caused the fraying of helical ribbons into nanofibers accompanied by a sharp blue-to-red chromatic transition. A dramatic change in circular dichroism spectra was observed during this process, suggesting the loss of chirality in packing. A model is proposed to account for the pH-induced morphological change and chromatic transition. The color-coded transition between two distinct microstructures would be useful in the design of sensors and other "smart" nanomaterials requiring defined molecular templates.     

Porous ceramic bed supports for fused silica packed capillary columns used in liquid chromatography

Porous ceramic bed supports for fused silica packed capillary columns utilized in liquid chromatography were prepared by polymerizing solutions containing potassium silicate in-situ within a column to create a mechanically stable, rugged, and easily constructed termination. The effect of the bed support length on efficiency, and comparisons to glass wool bed supports, were considered in terms of column efficiencies and hydrodynamic variables. Results obtained indicate better performance for the ceramic bed support.     

Influence of molecular weight on nanoscale modification of poly(methyl methacrylate) due to simultaneous mechanical and chemical stimulation

We report observations of poly(methyl methacrylate) films modified by the synergistic effect of solvent exposure and mechanical stress applied by the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM). We show that these modifications are sensitive to polymer molecular weight as well as solvent strength and the force applied by the tip. Small-area scanning often produces localized patches of raised material as well as depressed areas. The volume change associated with the depressed areas generally increases with increasing solvent strength, increasing applied normal force, and decreasing polymer molecular weight. In contrast, the volume change associated with the raised patches is greatest for 25-145K Mw films in 60 and 100% ethanol solutions. In each case, the normal force applied by the AFM tip must exceed a threshold to significantly modify the surface; this threshold is associated with an increase in lateral force applied by the AFM tip during small-area scanning. We attribute the raised patches to mechanically enhanced swelling due to diffusion of solvent into near-surface material. Permanent net volume loss, when observed, is attributed to localized polymer dissolution.     

DANGLE: A Bayesian inferential method for predicting protein backbone dihedral angles and secondary structure

This paper introduces DANGLE, a new algorithm that employs Bayesian inference to estimate the likelihood of all possible values of the backbone dihedral angles ? and ψ for each residue in a query protein, based on observed chemical shifts and the conformational preferences of each amino acid type. The method provides robust estimates of ? and ψ within realistic boundary ranges, an indication of the degeneracy in the relationship between shift measurements and conformation at each site, and faithful secondary structure state assignments. When a simple degeneracy-based filtering procedure is applied, DANGLE offers an ideal compromise between accuracy and coverage when compared with other shift-based dihedral angle prediction methods. In addition, per residue analysis of shift/structure degeneracy has potential to be a useful new approach for studying the properties of unfolded proteins, with sufficient sensitivity to identify regions of residual structure in the acid denatured state of apomyoglobin.     

Synthesis and novel reactivity of halomethyldimethylsulfonium salts

Iodomethyl-, chloromethyl-, and fluoromethyldimethylsulfonium salts, 4b-d, have been synthesized and are observed to be highly reactive molecules that exhibit extraordinary diversity with respect to the nature of their reactivity, undergoing facile direct substitution (S(N)2) reactions, but also being highly susceptible to electron-transfer reactions. Cyclic voltametry experiments indicated that the iodomethyldimethylsulfonium compound, 4b, is a potent electron acceptor, even surpassing the reactivity of perfluoro-n-alkyl iodides in that capacity. The iodo- and chloromethyldimethylsulfonium salts, 4b,c, as well as the analogous iodomethyltrimethylammonium salt, 3a, are shown to be reactive SET acceptors.     

Preparation of 5-diaminomethylenebarbiturates by barbituric acid addition to carbodiimides

Through NMR spectroscopic monitoring of barbituric acid addition to carbodiimide, a general synthetic procedure for the preparation of 5-diaminomethylenebarbiturates (DABA) was developed. This procedure is very simple and applicable to the preparation of large quantities of DABA derivatives. Through an X-ray structural study of one of the DABA derivatives, it was established that these compounds have an ylide-type structure with strong charge separation within the molecule.     

Cubosomes: The Next Generation of Smart Lipid Nanoparticles?

Cubosomes are highly stable nanoparticles formed from the lipid cubic phase and stabilized by a polymer based outer corona. Bicontinuous lipid cubic phases consist of a single lipid bilayer that forms a continuous periodic membrane lattice structure with pores formed by two interwoven water channels. Cubosome composition can be tuned to engineer pore sizes or include bioactive lipids, the polymer outer corona can be used for targeting and they are highly stable under physiological conditions. Compared to liposomes, the structure provides a significantly higher membrane surface area for loading of membrane proteins and small drug molecules. Owing to recent advances, they can be engineered in vitro in both bulk and nanoparticle formats with applications including drug delivery, membrane bioreactors, artificial cells, and biosensors. This review outlines recent advances in cubosome technology enabling their application and provides guidelines for the rational design of new systems for biomedical applications.     

New class of potent catalysts of O2.-dismutation. Mn(III) ortho-methoxyethylpyridyl- and di-ortho-methoxyethylimidazolylporphyrins

Three new Mn(III) porphyrin catalysts of O2.-dismutation (superoxide dismutase mimics), bearing ether oxygen atoms within their side chains, were synthesized and characterized: Mn(III) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[N-(2-methoxyethyl)pyridinium-2-yl]porphyrin (MnTMOE-2-PyP(5+)), Mn(III)5,10,15,20-tetrakis[N-methyl-N'-(2-methoxyethyl)imidazolium-2-yl]porphyrin (MnTM,MOE-2-ImP(5+)) and Mn(III) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[N,N'-di(2-methoxyethyl)imidazolium-2-yl]porphyrin (MnTDMOE-2-ImP(5+)). Their catalytic rate constants for O2.-dismutation (disproportionation) and the related metal-centered redox potentials vs. NHE are: log k(cat)= 8.04 (E(1/2)=+251 mV) for MnTMOE-2-PyP(5+), log k(cat)= 7.98 (E(1/2)=+356 mV) for MnTM,MOE-2-ImP(5+) and log k(cat)= 7.59 (E(1/2)=+365 mV) for MnTDMOE-2-ImP(5+). The new porphyrins were compared to the previously described SOD mimics Mn(III) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-ethylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin (MnTE-2-PyP(5+)), Mn(III) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-n-butylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin (MnTnBu-2-PyP(5+)) and Mn(III) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N,N'-diethylimidazolium-2-yl)porphyrin (MnTDE-2-ImP(5+)). MnTMOE-2-PyP(5+) has side chains of the same length and the same E(1/2), as MnTnBu-2-PyP(5+)(k(cat)= 7.25, E(1/2)=+ 254 mV), yet it is 6-fold more potent a catalyst of O2.-dismutation , presumably due to the presence of the ether oxygen. The log k(cat)vs. E(1/2) relationship for all Mn porphyrin-based SOD mimics thus far studied is discussed. None of the new compounds were toxic to Escherichia coli in the concentration range studied (up to 30 microM), and protected SOD-deficient E. coli in a concentration-dependent manner. At 3 microM levels, the MnTDMOE-2-ImP(5+), bearing an oxygen atom within each of the eight side chains, was the most effective and offered much higher protection than MnTE-2-PyP(5+), while MnTDE-2-ImP(5+) was of very low efficacy.     

Quantitative analysis of complex amino acids and RGD peptides by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)

The C 1 s, N 1 s, and O 1 s core level binding energies (BEs) of the functional groups in amino acids (glycine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, arginine, and histidine) with varied side‐chains and cell‐binding RGD‐based peptides have been determined and characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy with a monochromatic Al K_α source. The zwitterionic nature of the amino acids in the solid state is unequivocally evident from the N 1 s signals of the protonated amine groups and the C 1 s signature of carboxylate groups. Significant adventitious carbon contamination is evident for all samples but can be quantitatively accounted for. No intrinsic differences in the XP spectra are evident between two polymorphs (α and γ) of glycine, indicating that the crystallographic differences have a minor influence on the core level BEs for this system. The two nitrogen centers in the imidazole group of histidine exhibit an N 1 s BE shift that is in line with previously reported data for theophylline and aqueous imidazole solutions, while the nitrogen and carbon chemical shifts reflect the unusual guanidinium chemical environment in arginine. It is shown that the complex envelopes of C 1 s and O 1 s photoemission spectra for short‐chain peptides can be analyzed quantitatively by reference to the less complex XP spectra of the constituent amino acids, provided the peptides are of high enough purity. The distinctive N 1 s photoemission from the amide linkages provides an indicator of peptide formation even in the presence of common impurities, and variations in the relative intensities of N 1 s were found to be diagnostic for each of the three peptides investigated (RGD, RGDS, and RGDSC). Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.